Syracuse University
vs. #2 Virginia
Thriller In Foxboro: Orange to Play for National Title After 12-11 Double OT Win Against Virginia
5/24/2008 2:32:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
FOXBORO, Mass – Senior attackman Mike Leveille's (Delmar, N.Y.) fifth goal of the afternoon sealed third-seeded Syracuse's (15-2) thrilling come-from-behind, 12-11, double-overtime win against second-seeded Virginia (14-4) in the NCAA semifinal round on Saturday in front of 48,224 fans at Gillette Stadium.
Leveille powered the Orange rally in matching a career best with seven points on five goals and two assists. The win propels Syracuse to its 15th national title game in program history. It will play fifth-seeded Johns Hopkins Monday, May 26 at 1 p.m. on ESPN for the 2008 national championship.
Leveille scored with 1:43 to go in the second overtime lift the Orange to victory. In the process, he extended his consecutive point streak to 56 games, the second-longest nationally and the fourth-longest in the Syracuse record books. He also continued to climb the Orange career charts, listing ninth in goals (131), and tied for 12th in assists (81) and points (212).
Junior midfielder Matt Abbott (Syracuse, N.Y.) also helped fuel the comeback with his first career hat trick, scoring all three of his goals in the second half. His first score of the contest, at the 7:01 mark of the third quarter, keyed an 8-3 Syracuse run to end regulation and force overtime.
The Orange scored five of the game's seven fourth-quarter goals, rallying from a 9-6 deficit at the onset of the period and a 6-3 disadvantage at the intermission. The win improves Syracuse's record to a flawless 4-0 when trailing after two periods.
After a Virginia goal at the 14:15 mark of the fourth stanza, Syracuse outscored the Cavaliers, 5-1, final 12:30 of regulation beginning with Leveille's third score of the game at 12:28. Abbott's third and final marker, at the 11:05 mark, trimmed the Virginia advantage to 10-8. The Cavaliers scored their last goal of the contest with 7:52 on the clock, pushing its edge to 11-8.
Junior attackman Greg Niewieroski (Watertown, N.Y.) ignited a three-goal spurt that ended when Leveille buried the game's equalizer at the 3:00 mark off a carom in front of the Virginia cage. Syracuse has its chances to win in regulation, but Cavaliers netminder Bud Petit closed the door on a Niewieroski chance with 10 seconds remaining. Petit finished with 16 saves.
Freshman goalkeeper John Galloway (Syracuse, N.Y.)Â made two critical saves in the final 2:30 of the first overtime, stopping Garrett Billings' try at the 2:27 mark and Danny Glading's last-second attempt as time expired. Gladings' chance with 52 seconds remaining kicked off the pipe.
After a 30-second pushing penalty was assessed to Hardy at the 3:04 mark of the second overtime, Rubeor struck the post with 2:29 remaining, setting the stage for Leveille's dramatics.
Senior faceoff specialist Danny Brennan (Farmingdale, N.Y.), won both draws in the overtime periods and was 19-of-27 for the game. His team-best nine ground balls led Syracuse's 44-25 advantage in that category.
After Virginia's Shamel Bratton found the back of the cage at the 11:24 mark of the first quarter, the Orange answered with back-to-back scores within a one-minute span to secure its only lead of the half, 2-1. Leveille tickled the twine with 9:20 remaining on an unassisted tally before Loftus struck 57 ticks following with a left-hand attempt down the alley.
The Cavaliers responded with five unanswered goals and grabbed a commanding 6-2 cushion. Virginia took advantage of three Syracuse penalties, scoring a man-up goal at the 10:21 mark of the second frame. It led 6-3 at a the break.
Glading paced the Cavaliers with four points on three goals and one assist. Billings added two scores as the Virginia attack boasted at least eight players with at least one goal. Defenseman Matt Kelly collected a team-high seven ground balls.
Syracuse win evened the all-time series against the Cavaliers at 12 wins apiece. Additionally, the Orange knotted the count at three wins each in the NCAA semifinal round, dating back to a 12-10 loss against Virginia in 1986. Head coach John Desko improved his postseason record to 22-5 and  6-2 in NCAA semifinal games.
